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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27735367">Young Boomer, What Crimes Will They Commit??</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatBoyDetective/pseuds/TheGreatBoyDetective'>TheGreatBoyDetective</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware, Half-Life</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventaully, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Kissing, M/M, Pre-Canon, Rated T for language, They/Them Pronouns for Bubby (Half-Life), canon typical black mesa bs, canon typical clones, canon typical tubes, no beta we die like coomer clones, this scientist has no gender and theres nothing you can do about it</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:41:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,566</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27735367</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatBoyDetective/pseuds/TheGreatBoyDetective</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Bubby gets assigned a lab partner by Black Mesa due to being a "Fire Hazard". While hesitant at first, they start to consider Coomer a dear friend. Though, they aren't sure what to do about this funny feeling they get inside their chest around him.</p><p>But also Black Mesa sucks, what can you do?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bubby/Dr. Coomer (Half-Life)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>80</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This general plot for young boomers has been done a lot but I hope y'all will like my spin on it! Updates for this wont be regular, but at the time of posting this I already have chapter two done. Everything will depend on how I'm feelin. Ok then, enjoy!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The alarm blared from Bubby's bedside table. They groaned before rolling over and hitting the clock, repeatedly, until it shut up. The clock was barely visible through their sleep-hazed vision, but the time clearly read; 7:40.</p><p>Only twenty minutes before the time they were supposed to start work.</p><p>"Shit!" Bubby threw off their sheets and ran to their closet. As they put on some clothes they tried to do some mental math. It took them about 5 minutes to get ready if they were in a hurry, walking from the dorms to the main facility would take about 10 with morning foot traffic, the underground tram took 15-20 minutes to reach their stop, and then there was another 5 minutes to walk to their designated research room.</p><p>Which meant; they would still be about 20 minutes late. Damn it.</p><p>Bubby cursed themselves for oversleeping as they brushed their teeth. They finished up and got out the door in record time. Groups of people walked by as Bubby made their way to the tram, but none of them seemed to pay them any mind. Nobody ever really did. They couldn't really complain in the moment, though. Its easier to squeeze by people when they don't acknowledge you're there.</p><p>The train ride was uneventful, only filled with thoughts about what their new lab partner would be like. That's right, the one day they're late to work 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 to be the day they're supposed to meet their new coworker.</p><p>They didn't want a lab partner, but apparently they're a 'hazard' to the Black Mesa facility when working unsupervised so it's required -You set 𝘰𝘯𝘦 piece of equipment on fire- Black Mesa basically hired a babysitter for them. They weren't exactly thrilled.</p><p>Bubby hopped off the train and made their way to the room. Outside there was a sign with the room number and two names underneath.</p><p>𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘙𝘰𝘰𝘮 217<br/>𝘛𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘚𝘶𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 8𝘜-138𝘠 &amp; 𝘋𝘳. 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘗. 𝘊𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳</p><p>"Coomer, huh? Never heard of him." Bubby mumbled. It wasn't exactly a surprise they didn't recognize him, they didn't get out too often.</p><p>Bubby slid open the door and stepped inside. They glanced at the clock on the wall and cringed when they realized how late they were. At a side table they saw, what they assumed to be, Dr. Coomer, filling out some papers. Knowing Black Mesa's security measures it was probably a waver.</p><p>Bubby cleared their throat and Dr. Coomer turned to face them. He was a short, round man with tanned skin. Curly auburn hair, which had started to grey in places, framed his face. His eyes were about the greenest things Bubby had ever seen, and they seemed so kind. They realized they had been staring at the man for a bit too long and averted their gaze, "Uh-Hi, my name's Bubby. I guess you're Dr. Coomer?"</p><p>"Please, call me Harold." The man smiled at Bubby and extended his hand. Bubby shook it, more out of obligation than anything else. It was extremely gentle, yet firm.</p><p>"Well… Anyways. I'm not sure what 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 told you," they waved their hand in the general direction of Black Mesa's higher-ups, "but, I don’t actually need you to look after me. I can handle myself. Just stay out of my way and there won't be a problem."</p><p>"Understood, Bubby." Coomer turned around with a grin and went back to filling out the papers he seemed busy with.</p><p>Well, that was easier than they thought it would be.</p><p>Bubby moved to the other side of the lab and put on some work attire to start their latest assignment. The Mixology Department was in need of a type of metal that didn't dissolve when in contact with their, apparently 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘤, new flavor of Powerade™. They sent up some samples of the stuff to try out on different metals. Bubby pitied the person who had to actually ingest whatever new 'flavor' this was.</p><p>They quickly became lost in their work for the next few hours and jolted when they felt a light tap on their shoulder.</p><p>"Oh, I'm terribly sorry for scaring you there," Coomer retracted his hand quickly, "I just wanted to inform you that it's lunch time."</p><p>"If you're asking to eat with me… I don't really do that. I'd rather keep working." Bubby turned back to their table.</p><p>"Well- I'm not exactly asking. I was instructed to keep you in my sight during all work hours and as you know we can't eat in the labs-" Coomer went on with his explanation and Bubby just got more angry. Not at this Coomer guy but at Black Mesa's directors. Were they really that much of a problem they needed constant supervision? Christ.</p><p>As mad as they were, Bubby didn't want to take out their anger on this, probably extremely underpaid, scientist Black Mesa hired for this position. Might as well cooperate with him.</p><p>"Okay."</p><p>"Wonderful!" A wave of relief seemed to wash over Coomer. He was probably just as stressed about the situation as Bubby was.</p><p>They both cleaned up and headed down to the cafeteria. Bubby drank some water while they watched Coomer eat his lunch. It felt very awkward just sitting there watching this guy, but they didn't really know what to say. They just fiddled with the bottle's label until Coomer finally decided to break the silence.</p><p>"This might be out of my place to ask, but why are you referred to as a test subject?" Bubby must have made a weird face at that because Coomer immediately started back-tracking, "Don't feel obligated to answer! Your involvement with Black Mesa is none of my-"</p><p>"No, no! It's fine!" Coomer seemed to relax a bit at Bubby's words, "It's just- I'm surprised they didn't tell you when you were partnered with me. With all the 'risks' and everything."</p><p>"They didn't really tell me anything. Except that I should keep you under constant surveillance," he chuckled, "but you haven't been too much of a problem thus far."</p><p> </p><p>"Okay, give me a moment." They couldn't really figure out where to start, but decided the beginning was best.</p><p>"To get the big part out of the way, I was grown here at Black Mesa. Full on test tube baby shit. I was the most successful of many attempts to create 'The Perfect Lifeform', in Black Mesa's words," Bubby wondered if they should be giving out this type of information, but ultimately decided that Black Mesa can kiss his ass and went on,</p><p>"At first they just kept me in my tube for experiments, but as I got older they let me roam the place. Eventually they figured all the information they put in my brain should probably be put to use and made me start to work here. I was fine working on my own until I 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 'accidentally' set some lab equipment on fire to spite the sons of bitches, which they weren't too happy about. And now we're here."</p><p>Coomer looked rather shocked that Bubby had opened up like that, but to be honest so was Bubby. Why did they decide to tell their life story to some random guy they just met, again?</p><p>"Wow that's- I had no idea Black Mesa did that type of stuff."</p><p>"You'd be surprised." Bubby scoffed under their breath.</p><p>"So… do you still live in that tube or?" Coomer cleaned up his lunch and stood up.</p><p>"Oh god, no," Bubby got up and followed Coomer out the door, "I have my own dorm here. I only get put in the tube when- nevermind." They quickly shut their mouth, finally realizing that oversharing to some person they had only met hours prior was not the best idea.</p><p>Once inside the lab again, they easily fell back into their rhythm from earlier. Which basically meant not to bother the other unless absolutely necessary. It was actually quite nice in Bubby's opinion. Occasionally, Coomer would ask them something from across the room or wonder where a certain item was, but other than that he stayed out of the way. He could never truly know how grateful Bubby was of this.</p><p> </p><p>Bubby glanced over at the clock and realized how late it was. They packed up their stuff and went over to tell Coomer he was free to go.</p><p>"Hey Dr-er- Harold. I'm heading out." Bubby motioned at the clock and Coomer began to pack up his own things, which didn't appear to be much.</p><p>"Ah- if it's not too much trouble, could I walk with you to the dormitories?" They went into the hallway, "I'm still getting used to the layout of Black Mesa. I've only been here about a week."</p><p>Without anything better to do Bubby said, "Sure." So they went back through the research facility to get to the tram station. Bubby used the map at the station to help familiarize Coomer with all the different sections of the facility. It, at least, seemed to be working.</p><p>They got off the tram and walked through the halls until they reached the dormitories.</p><p>"Welp, you should be able to find your way back from here." They came to a four way intersection, each hallway leading to a different section of dorm rooms.</p><p>"Thank you, Bubby. They kind of just threw me in here blind." He smiled in appreciation. They both waved their goodbyes and started to head to their respective dorms, but stopped when they realized they were heading in the same direction.</p><p>"Say… Bubby. What's your room number?"</p><p>"342 B. Yours?"</p><p>"Oh, my," he laughed to himself, "it seems we'll see each other more often than we thought! My room number 345 B."</p><p>"Huh... whad'ya know?"</p><p>They kept walking as they talked, "It will be useful if one of us was to leave an item at work, I suppose."</p><p>Bubby hummed in agreement. They weren't sure how they felt about being roomed so close to Coomer. He seemed like a nice guy, just not a "let's let him know exactly where I live" kind of guy. However, they were sure he wouldn't be too much of a problem.</p><p>Smiling, they waved to each other from across the hall as they entered their rooms. Bubby immediately plopped down on their bed and just stared at the ceiling, not bothering to change just yet.</p><p>They started to process all that had happened today. Dr. Coomer sure was a character, but they weren't sure if they could trust him yet. He seemed to be a pretty strict rule-follower, which meant he would probably tell on Bubby if they were to do something a bit… unwise, but only time would tell. For now, Bubby just needed a good rest after a long day of work.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading through this chapter! I'll probably get the second one up some time next week. </p><p>Feel free to yell at me on tumblr @heyheyhey-iaintgay</p><p>Comments and kudos are always appreciated! :))</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Now we get to the fun stuff! </p><p>And Bubby catches... feelings???? Uh oh.</p><p>More stuff happens I just cannot write a summary to save my life :)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This one is probably gonna be the longest chapter (don't quote me on that)</p><p>There are some slight age canons but also I can't do math so some stuff might not add up. They're both in their early thirties tho</p><p>Have fun readin!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>About a week had gone by since Bubby and Coomer's first day working together and not too much had changed. Occasionally, they would meet outside their dorms in the morning to walk to work, but the trips were usually quiet due to of how tired they were.</p><p>They still worked in relative silence, but as time went on there was more and more small talk thrown in throughout the day. Soon, Bubby got uncomfortable if Coomer 𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘯'𝘵 said anything to them.</p><p>During lunch they would actually hold full conversations, which mainly consisted of Bubby going on rants about how shitty Black Mesa was, and not get bored of each other. One time, Coomer even managed to get a good laugh out of Bubby when reminiscing on his teen years.</p><p>When work ended, they would walk back to their rooms and say goodbye until the next day. Bubby was starting to feel like they had an real friend for once, or at least someone who seemed to like talking with them. It was a nice change from the past 35 years.</p><p> </p><p>One day, Bubby arrived a bit late to the research facility due to a malfunction in one of the trams. They hurried to the lab as fast at they could and slid open the door to get inside.</p><p>"Sorry I'm late Harold I-" Bubby stopped talking in favor of focusing their eyes on Coomer. He was leaning over a microscope, inspecting some sample, with his dark, red hair tied back in a neat bun. His button up's sleeves were rolled to reveal a soft, rather impressively, toned arm. A lab coat was tied around his waist and he looked noticeably sweaty.</p><p>And for whatever reason, Bubby could not take their eyes off of him.<br/>That is, until Coomer turned and locked eyes with a slightly flustered Bubby.</p><p>"Ah- Hello, Bubby! I see you've come in at the perfect time!" He motioned for Bubby to come closer and they did, "I've just made a discovery."</p><p>As much as they wanted to, Bubby could not react to how fascinating the sample Coomer showed them was. Their mind only focused on whatever the fuck just happened. Why did he feel so- warm and flutter-y(?) while staring at Coomer? Had he always felt this way? What did this feeling 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯???</p><p>Coomer either didn't take notice or just didn't care that Bubby was acting odd because he hadn't commented about their current state. Not even after they quietly asked why he looked all sweaty this early in the morning.</p><p>"Oh! I just came from my early morning boxing lessons," Coomer formed fists with his hands and punched the air dramatically, "I signed up for the Black Mesa Boxing Club earlier this week. It was always my dream to be a boxer! They think I'm doing pretty well for a beginner!"</p><p>"Boxing Club? Since when have we had a boxing club?"</p><p>"It's all- secret. Underground, as you might say... Now, don't tell anyone I told you about this." Coomer winked at Bubby jokingly.</p><p>They felt their cheeks flush again, but then replied, "You have my word," and crossed their hand over their heart for dramatic effect. The shorter man smiled, then turned to get back to work. Bubby decided to head to their side of the lab.</p><p>The first half of the day went on as usual, but Bubby couldn't get the image of Coomer fighting in the ring out of their head. They brushed it off, saying they were just impressed with how skilled at boxing he looked, but the giddy feeling they got in their chest while thinking about his muscles disagreed.</p><p>Around noon, they went on their lunch break with Coomer. As usual, Bubby didn't grab anything except a soda, they didn't really need to eat anything to live. They got a bit bored sitting around so they tried to strike up a conversation.</p><p>"Do you feel- weird working here?"</p><p>Coomer perked up, "What do you mean?"</p><p>"Like, do you miss your life on the surface at all?"</p><p>He seemed to look off in thought for a moment before replying, "I guess so, but I don't really have anyone up there awaiting my return. That's kind of why I came down here in the first place."</p><p>Bubby gave Coomer a reassuring look, silently asking him to elaborate if he was comfortable.</p><p>"Only about four years ago, I went through a divorce. I was fresh out of college when my parents started pressuring me to find a wife, so a few years later I got married to a woman I had met at a former job. I won't get into details for both of our sakes, but our relationship was mentally draining. After about six years I finally got the courage to leave and she happily obliged. I was very content afterwards, but my parents haven't talked to me since."</p><p>"I'm sorry to hear that." Bubby went to reach for Coomer's hand, but decided that was too much and placed it back on the table.</p><p>"Don't feel too bad, the years after gave me a lot of time to think about myself. I went back to school to study for my doctorate, which I finished up pretty quickly. I learned to accept my own needs and not just go along with what others thought was best for me. I also figured out that I wasn't as- well- straight as I had previously thought I was." Coomer looked up at Bubby with a nervous look in his eyes.</p><p>"Oh," Bubby was surprised at first, then smiled warmly, "Well, there's no need to worry about that sort of thing around me. I'm- not either."</p><p>Coomer seemed to light up, "Really?"</p><p>"Yeah, really."</p><p> </p><p>They both headed back to work. Bubby was very happy. They'd never formally come out to someone before, only because they never really felt the need to. Coomer was different. They felt safe with him. He understood Bubby.</p><p> </p><p>Work started to get boring after a while. Bubby had already finished all the fun parts of their testing and was just left with data to fill out. Coomer looked busy experimenting on some unknown liquid in glass tubes.</p><p>They were 100% certain they were only looking at Coomer because of how interesting the test looked and 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 not because his face looked particularly handsome when focusing on a task, that's for sure.</p><p>The day went on, and soon it was time to go. They both cleaned up and walked to the tram together. There didn't seem to be anyone on this particular car, so they had the seats to themselves. It was pretty quiet, only the hum of the tram could be heard as it moved along its tracks.</p><p>"Bubby, what's something you're passionate about?" Coomer stared at Bubby from across the row.</p><p>"Pardon?"</p><p>"Earlier I told you about my love for boxing, but I've never heard you say if you have anything you're passionate about," Coomer fiddled with his tie, "I'm just interested."</p><p>Huh, they'd never been asked such a personal question before by anyone. Nobody has ever been genuinely interested in their opinions. It felt nice.</p><p> </p><p>"Ever since I learned there was a life outside of Black Mesa, I've wanted to go there. They injected the knowledge of some outside places into my brain, but I know it isn't the same as seeing them. All of it is so fascinating to me, but what I really want to see, more than anything, is the stars," Bubby thought back to their earlier days.</p><p>They would often hear other scientists talk about the wonders of space, but they had never been allowed to see it in its full glory, "I would kill to go out there. Just out into space to see the stars from up there, "they were rambling at this point, "If I'm being honest, I don't even care if I get to go into space or not. Just to look up and see the whole universe would be more than enough."</p><p>"That's a wonderful dream, Bubby."</p><p>Bubby wanted to be encouraged by Coomer's words, but couldn't find it in them. It just finalized that that's all this was; a dream. Not something that could ever happen in reality. They let the metal of the armrest dig into their side as the tram continued to move on.</p><p>***</p><p>Another week of the same routine went by. Some days were more draining than others, but that was research for you. Often after work, Coomer and Bubby would head to the employee lounge to grab a soda and talk. Those were Bubby's favorite days. They didn't like sitting in a dorm room all alone anyways.</p><p> </p><p>Right before Bubby was about to walk into his dorm, Coomer popped out from across the hall.</p><p>"Bubby! I forgot to tell you, but I have something to show you after work," Coomer said in a stage whisper, "Meet me in the hallway close to the end of Sector-C around 7 'o'clock!"</p><p>"Umm- Okay?" Bubby chuckled at Coomer's urgency. Whatever he had to show them was probably important, but how important could it really be? Bubby figured all their questions would be answered tomorrow and continued into their dorm.</p><p> </p><p>As instructed, Bubby arrived promptly to the edge of Sector-C at 7pm. Soon, they saw Coomer round the corner from across the hall.</p><p>"Hey!" Bubby waved.</p><p>"Shhh," Coomer motioned for them to quiet down. "We have to be quiet."</p><p>"Why?" They whispered.</p><p>"I 𝘮𝘢𝘺 have neglected to inform you that the area were going to is extremely restricted."</p><p>"What!?" They were actually quite impressed, they thought he was much stricter than this.</p><p>"Listen! It'll all be worth it I promise," He peaked around the corner and pointed toward an on duty guard, "See that guy, he's the only person watching right now. All we have to do is distract him and sneak past."</p><p>"I can take care of that." Coomer looked puzzled. 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵. Bubby looked around and saw a little potted plant positioned down the hall, away from where they were headed. Perfect.</p><p>They raised their hand toward the plant and squeezed. Almost instantly, the small plant ignited into flames. The guard noticed and startled their way over to the plant, trying to find something to put it out. It wasn't big enough to cause real damage, only enough to cause a distraction.</p><p>Bubby turned back to look at Coomer. His mouth was fully agape in awe.</p><p>"We are discussing 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 later!"</p><p>Obviously, they didn't have that kind of time now, so they snuck past the guard into the empty hall. Coomer led them to a room filled with thousands of buttons and switches. There were chairs all around the desk and one very large monitor in the middle.</p><p>"Where are we?" Bubby shut the door and sat down in one of the seats.</p><p>"That doesn't matter," Coomer flipped some switches and the monitors lit up with what looked Iike just security feed, "You just have to watch what's about to happen. Trust me."</p><p>He continued to mess with the buttons until the screen flipped to show a view of the desert. There seemed to be some sort of underground silo in the middle of the sand. In the top right corner of the screen was a counter, currently at one minute and 30 seconds, slowly ticking down.</p><p>"Okay, only a minute left to go. Then you'll see." He looked very excited, but for what Bubby had no idea.</p><p>Bubby sat back, puzzled, as they watched the timer slowly count down. At 30 seconds, the silo door slowly opened and a voice came on over the video feed.</p><p>"𝘛-𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴 30 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩"</p><p>"Coomer, is this what I think it is?"</p><p>Coomer looked down and twiddled his thumbs, "Now, I know seeing it through a screen probably isn't as good as seeing it in person but-" He cut himself off, seeming to notice how excited Bubby looked as the voice started to count down from five.</p><p>"𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦, 𝘵𝘸𝘰, 𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘰𝘧𝘧!"</p><p>The video feed started to shake as a rocket emerged from the ground. After it was over halfway outside, a bright white light overtook the screen as it got higher and higher.</p><p>Bubby was completely in wonder at the sight. Never in their life had they seen a real rocket launch, and they were seeing this one live! It was a dream come true.</p><p>Even after the launch was over and only the empty desert remained, Bubby still stared at the screen, astounded. A silence fell between the two, before Bubby spoke up.</p><p>"Harold, that was the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my life." Bubby smiled up at Coomer.</p><p>"Well, I'm really glad you liked it." They both stared at one another in silence.</p><p>Bubby went to add to the conversation, but got cut off by loud knocks at the door. They forgot about the guard who had, apparently, handled the fire.</p><p>"Open this door right now."</p><p>"Bubby, quick! Give me your glasses," Coomer jolted up. They handed the glasses to him, "Hopefully these will be enough to conceal my identity a bit."</p><p>He walked over and opened the door.</p><p>"Sir, I'm gonna need to see some ID. This area is strictly prohibited."</p><p>"Oh, of course! Let me just-" He rifled through his coat for a second before raising a fist and slamming it up into the guard's chin. The guard fell to the ground, fully knocked out.</p><p>Bubby stared in disbelief. They had no words. Zero.</p><p>"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 was that?!"</p><p>"It seems my boxing lessons have paid off!" Coomer turned to face them with a triumphant look on his face.</p><p>"How come you're so set on following Black Mesa's orders when it comes to looking after me, but you just decked a security guard??"</p><p>"Nowhere in my contract does it say 𝘯𝘰𝘵 to punch an officer, my dear Bubby!" Coomer handed Bubby their glasses back, "Now come on! Before anyone else finds us."</p><p> </p><p>They sneakily ran through the hallways of Black Mesa, giggling at what they just pulled off. Coomer made sure that they took the path with the least amount of security cameras possible. Bubby worried about what the guard might do once he came to, but realized that, with how hard Coomer had punched him, worrying about his memory of their faces wouldn't be necessary.</p><p> </p><p>Both of them slowed to a walk as they reached the dormitory wing.</p><p>"Seems like we made it back with no interruptions!" Coomer said as he walked.</p><p>"Thankfully," They had reached their rooms, but Bubby didn't want to say goodbye just yet, "Thank you, again, for everything."</p><p>"Oh, it was no problem. I'm always happy to stir up a little trouble with a friend." Coomer nudged his elbow into Bubby's side playfully. Bubby smiled down at Coomer. For the first time in their life they had someone who considered them a friend. They were overjoyed.</p><p>They stood awkwardly in the hall, waiting to go into their rooms. Neither one of them knew a comfortable way to say goodbye without pushing the other's boundaries.</p><p>Bubby broke the silence, "Well, see you tomorrow I guess."</p><p>"Of course!"</p><p> </p><p>The next day was filled with glances and giggles from last night's shenanigans. Bubby was terrified he would be stopped in the hallway and questioned about the security breach, possibly sent back to their tube, but no such thing happened. It seemed they had gotten away scot free.</p><p>"Bubby, now that we have time, I have to ask you something." Coomer said at one point.</p><p>"Sure, what is it?" They tried to mask their body's automatic nervousness when being asked a question.</p><p>"What was- erm- the 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦?!"</p><p>Bubby laughed, "How do you think I was able set fire to the lab equipment that got me put with you in the first place?"</p><p>"But how can you even do that?"</p><p>"One of the perks to being the 'Perfect Lifeform'," It was funny, really, "For some reason, accidental fire powers wasn't a good enough reason to scrap me. Hell, I'm not complaining though."</p><p>Coomer laughed at that and Bubby felt their heart flutter. Had it always done that around him? These feelings were getting stranger and stranger.</p><p> </p><p>It was time to leave for the day and Bubby was about to fall asleep where they stood. Nothing about it had been particularly draining, but they just needed a good, long rest. Their feet carried them across the room to grab their things from a different table, without paying mind to what might be in the way.</p><p>One of the things that happened to be in the way, was Coomer. Both exclaimed loudly and started to fall to the floor. Out of instinct, Bubby scrambled to catch the other, but was too slow to do so. They crash landed on top of him.</p><p>Coomer looked up at Bubby and let out a hearty laugh, "Nice catch Professor."</p><p>Bubby was in shock, but found their words to correct him, "Doctor."</p><p>"Professor."</p><p>Bubby gave up.</p><p>Neither of them made a move to get up, and Bubby could feel their cheeks grow warm. They could have sworn they saw pink in the other man's as well, but it must have been a trick of the light. Coomer's eyes looked to be dilated, but all Bubby registered was the bright green found in his irises, inches away from his own.</p><p>Coomer cleared his throat, "We should- um..."</p><p>"Of course- I..." Bubby stood up and brushed themselves off, Coomer followed suit.</p><p>"Hehe… well-" There was a tense feeling in the air. Bubby felt their heart racing from inside their chest.</p><p> </p><p>Not knowing any other way out of this awkward situation, Bubby said, "Welp, see you Monday!" And bolted out the door. They knew Coomer only lived a few rooms down, but logistics weren't a factor right now.</p><p>As they walked back they intensely thought about all the things they had felt about Coomer in the past days. Why had they wanted to stay on the ground with Coomer, maybe hold his face and look deeper into his eyes? Why had they wanted to, possibly, close the distance between them? Was this just how friends felt towards one another?</p><p>No, they couldn't keep chalking up their feelings to that.</p><p>Bubby soon realized that they, in fact, seemed to love Harold Coomer, and had no idea what to do about it.</p><p>"Fuck."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I finish writing and editing it. Thanks for your patience.</p><p>(Also sorry if I'm not good at writing natural relationship progression this is my first multichapter fic!)</p><p>Anyways thank you for reading!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yo time for chapter 3, sorry for such a long wait these weeks have been busy.</p><p>Have fun with this one it pained me :))</p><p>(Also I got the other character names from the scientist's lockers in Half Life just bc I couldn't think of anything else to pull them from)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Weeks went by and Bubby's feelings became more troubling. Coomer was their friend! They shouldn't want to hold hands with him… maybe cuddl- this is 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 what they were talking about.</p><p>Their solution to this problem was to just ignore it. Ignore the way their stomach fluttered when they made Coomer laugh. Ignore the warmth that they could feel in their cheeks when they saw the scientist's eyes light up. Ignore how happy they felt spending time with the other.</p><p>These feelings could jeopardize their friendship, and Bubby definitely didn't want that, so they just kept ignoring them. This was the first time in their life that Bubby felt safe and wanted by someone, and they couldn't afford to lose it.</p><p> </p><p>Other than Bubby's internal struggles, work continued as usual. Every week or so, a different department would supply Coomer and Bubby with tests to run. As their projects got increasingly harder, more breaks were given to them.</p><p>To pass the time of these breaks, the two would stay in some of the many employee lounges. They were the perfect space to just relax and chat.</p><p> </p><p>On one of these breaks, they settled into a room complete with a vending machine and seating. They grabbed some drinks and sat down at a table not occupied by other scientists. Bubby sipped their soda peacefully, but Coomer seemed tense, just fiddling with the tab from the other side of the table.</p><p>"Bubby?" Coomer looked up from his soda, "I have- something to tell you after work."</p><p>"Oh," They grew worried, "Well, why can't you tell me now?"</p><p>"It's nothing bad!" He assured, "I just want to do do in a more… private setting."</p><p>"Okay?" Bubby was confused, what did Coomer need to tell them that was that important? They were still anxious, but trusted him. If it actually was something bad, Coomer wouldn't have lied to them.</p><p>An awkward stillness filled the air, but neither of them commented on it. Soon enough, their break time was up and they filed back to the lab in silence.</p><p>Bubby continued to work on their assignments, but was still tense at the though of what would happen after work. Though, they stopped themselves from coming up with 'what-ifs'. Everything would be fine.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A look at the clock showed that their uneventful work day had come to an end. Bubby walked up to Coomer to tell him they should head out.</p><p>"You ready to go?"</p><p>"Oh, just go on without me," Coomer continued to focus on his work, "I still have some things to finish up."</p><p>Bubby frowned. Coomer wasn't one to stay after work, but it was nothing unusual. It would be a bit lonely, but they were fine walking alone and had done it many times before. Besides, they'd be seeing him later.</p><p>They mumbled a goodbye and headed out the door and down the hall. Bubby was about to board the tram to the dormitories when they were stopped by someone.</p><p>"Test Subject 8U-138Y."</p><p>They turned around when they heard their 'name', "Umm, yeah?"</p><p>The guy was a high rank security officer, the ones who knew everything there was to know about the facility and its secrets, "You're wanted in Dr. Backman's office immediately."</p><p>"Can I stop by later, I kinda need to get somewhere," Bubby tried to act calm.</p><p>"That isn't an option, report to sector D immediately." He gave them a serious look and walked off down a hall. Bubby knew there wasn't really a way out of this one. They had to wait a bit longer for the next yellow line tram to arrive, but soon it came and they were on their way to administration.</p><p> </p><p>Bubby was nervous. They had no idea what the Doctor would want them up here for. They walked down the ominous hall, weary of what was to come. It had been weeks since their rocket launch viewing with Coomer, had security just now caught them?</p><p>The hallway ended and Bubby was met with a door.</p><p>The door slid open quietly to show a man sitting at a desk looking at some papers. He was a older man, nothing particularly interesting about him. If someone were to see him in passing, they would think nothing of it, but Bubby was filled with a horrible anxiety and anger just standing there.</p><p>This was the man who authorized and orchestrated every experiment ever done on them.</p><p>They often felt guilty, thinking they should be thankful that he decided to create them in the first place, but they knew better than to fall for that way of thinking.</p><p>The Doctor looked up from the papers and gestured at Bubby to come into the room. They followed his orders.</p><p>"Test Subject 8U-138Y, do you know why you're here?"</p><p>Bubby tried to mask their apprehension, "No?"</p><p>"Hmm," Backman seemed unsatisfied at the answer, but continued the conversation casually, "How has your lab partner treated you?"</p><p>"Fine." They had to choose their words very carefully so they wouldn't say the wrong thing.</p><p>"Well," He put down his papers, "I think it's about time for a change, don't you?"</p><p>"What?" This couldn't mean what they thought it meant. It couldn't.</p><p>"I decided it's best that we switch out your partner every so often," He explained, "So you don't somehow spread confidential information about Black Mesa's inner workings- well, more than you already have."</p><p>"What?" Bubby faltered, confused, "What have I said to him that's 𝘴𝘰 secret?"</p><p>"I think you fail to remember that you yourself are a property of Black Mesa and thus a classified experiment," Backman furrowed his brow, "We 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 you would know better than to give out details of your private life. How hard is it to blend in?"</p><p>Bubby went to speak, but didn't have any words to say. They couldn't just lose Coomer like this, not after they had gotten so close.</p><p>"Don't worry, I didn't make the process complex. We'll just move you two around so you're closer to your new job, and so you don't happen to run into each other," Bubby was still in disbelief, but was fully dissociating from the situation, "We even have your next partner already picked out."</p><p>"This… isn't fair." They chose to stand up to him.</p><p>"Oh," He looked frustrated, but not surprised, "I could always have you sent back to the labs for more tests instead. Perhaps we could do some reprogramming to get rid of your more… 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 actions when it comes to following orders."</p><p>They tensed up and shook their head no.</p><p>"Good then," He pushed a button on the desk and the door opened once again, "Have your things packed for your relocation in the morning. Good day."</p><p>Bubby turned and quietly left down the hall, knowing they had lost. There was nothing they could do, they would never be able to see Coomer again.</p><p> </p><p>They should have expected this, when had Black Mesa ever let them have anything nice? This just felt different, Coomer was different. He was the first person that ever seemed to care about Bubby's existence and now they'd never see him again.</p><p>A tram arrived at the station, Bubby entered and sat down to get back to their room. They took a deep breath. It's not all over yet, they still were going to see Coomer in their dorm tonight. They can work this out together.</p><p> </p><p>After Bubby got back home, all they did was pace. Should they go knock on Coomer's door? Or just wait for him to come over in his own time. That question answered itself when they heard a gentle rap at their door.</p><p>"Come in."</p><p>Coomer entered, "Ah, Bubby! I came over earlier but it seemed you were elsewhere," he sat down on their couch, "Where have you been?"</p><p>"I was up in administration… and I kind of have to talk to you about something now that I've been," Bubby sat, "After you say what you needed to, of course."</p><p>"Oh, you can go first," Coomer flushed and averted his gaze, very clearly. Bubby decided not to comment on it.</p><p>"I have no idea why they didn't tell us sooner, but," Bubby let out a breath, "Tomorrow, we'll both be moving away from each other. They decided to, spontaneously, switch my lab partner so I won't accidentally spread information, but I think it's actually because they knew I was really happy with you." They blushed a little, realizing what they said, but quickly shook it off.</p><p>"Oh." Coomer's face saddened.</p><p>They both sat in silence for a moment. Taking it all in.</p><p>"I don't know where they're taking you or who they're putting me with, so I'm sorry if your next job is shitty," They mumbled the next part, "I'm also sorry I ruined or friendship."</p><p>"Bubby, you have nothing to apologize for," They looked up from the floor at Coomer, "This isn't your fault."</p><p>Bubby teared up a bit at his words. Coomer seemed to see this, and added, "Besides, we may still see each other in passing."</p><p>They gave a slight smile down to Coomer, pretending to be hopeful, but they knew deep down that Black Mesa is too cruel for such simple bliss. Their schedules had probably been mapped down to a t.</p><p> </p><p>"I know that wasn't a great starter," They let out a dry, lifeless laugh, "but do you want to say your thing now?"</p><p>"If I'm being honest it doesn't really matter," Coomer answered, "now that we won't be able to see each other."</p><p>"Oh… ok then."</p><p>A tense and heavy air settled in the room as everything was processed. They both just stared at the floor in silence.</p><p> </p><p>After a minute or so, Coomer piped up, "Well, I guess we should start packing."</p><p>"Yeah," Bubby stood up, "I guess so."</p><p>They both made their way to the door, but didn't make a move to open it, neither wanting to say goodbye.</p><p>"I'm really going to miss you, Bubby" Coomer sadly smiled up at them.</p><p>Bubby's eyes watered, this was really it, "Me too."</p><p>Suddenly, Coomer enveloped them with a hug. At first, Bubby just stood there in shock, but soon wrapped their arms around the man in return. Tears started to run down their face as they placed their head on Coomer's shoulder.</p><p>Soon, the moment ended and they both stepped back, teary-eyed. Bubby wished the hug lasted forever, they didn't want to leave him.</p><p>"Well, I'll see you around." Coomer opened the door and stepped out.</p><p>"Yeah," They wiped their eyes, "Goodbye, Harold."</p><p>"Goodbye, Bubby." He took one last look at them, before shutting the door and leaving.</p><p>Bubby immediately started to break down. Change wasn't something they liked at all, especially so sudden. And especially because it was taking away someone they had only just realized they loved.</p><p>They moved to the couch and just laid there. Nothing felt right. This shouldn't be happening.</p><p> </p><p>Knowing they should start packing did nothing to motivate Bubby from their spot of the couch, but eventually they found it in them to pile up their, very few, belongings. After they'd finished they plopped into bed fully clothed and just stared at the ceiling numbly.</p><p>Eventually, sleep overtook Bubby and they got some, much needed, rest.</p><p>***</p><p>Sure enough, both Bubby and Coomer were moved out the next morning. The new dorms they were placed in seemed just about the same as every other in the facility.</p><p> </p><p>Bubby was still in denial about the whole situation as he made his way to his new job. Apparently, an impromptu move was not a good enough reason for Black Mesa to give them the day off.</p><p>They arrived at the new lab and read the label card that had recently been swapped out;</p><p>𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘙𝘰𝘰𝘮 176<br/>𝘛𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘚𝘶𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 8𝘜-138𝘠 &amp; 𝘋𝘳. 𝘎𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘦</p><p>Once again, Bubby had never heard of this person. How were they expected to keep track of every scientist in Black Mesa?</p><p>They had already set low expectations for how this new 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 would treat them. Coomer had been an outlier to the rest of the facility's, rather stuck up, employees. Was 'being a dick' one of their main requirements of working here?</p><p>Bubby stepped inside and saw a man with uniform brown hair tending to some sort of specimen and elected to ignore him. Might as well just stay out of his way and get the day over with.</p><p>On their way over to their station Bubby knocked over some books, which caused the man to turn around in surprise.</p><p>"Oh… uh," Bubby bent over, "Sorry, I'll get that."</p><p>"Hmph." The man they assumed to be Guthrie, no introduction had happened, turned back around sharply.</p><p>That was weird, but not unexpected. Again, many scientists ignored Bubby due to their- nature. It was fine. They had just gotten too used to Coomer's warm welcomes in the morning.</p><p>Bubby went over to their area and set up their station to fit their needs. They were just about done when they heard a light snapping sound coming from behind them. Turning around they saw Guthrie, standing with his back towards Bubby and snapping his finger quickly.</p><p>"Umm… are you okay?" Bubby slowly walked over.</p><p>"Ugh- why do we even keep you around," He mumbled as he turned to face them, "I'd like you to go down to Room 184 and retrieve an important sample for me."</p><p>"Can't you just do it yourself?" They said bluntly.</p><p>This made the man visibly upset, "I am the one in charge here 8U-138Y."</p><p>Bubby crossed their arms in annoyance, "I'm just as much of a scientist as you are buddy. I didn't come here to get bossed around by someone with a far inferior intelect."</p><p>"Do as you're told or I'll be forced to send you elsewhere," Guthrie pointed towards the door with finality, "I think you can fill in the blanks."</p><p>They swallowed nervously at the threat. Deciding to follow along, they went out the door and down the hall to get what the man had asked.</p><p>If this is how bad the first day was going, Bubby did not want to know what else was to come.</p><p>They got the sample without interruption and went back into the lab to hand it over.</p><p>"Excellent," Guthrie grabbed it from out of Bubby's hand and mounted the flask to a stand, "Now, I'll just need you to use your pyrokinesis to light this and-"</p><p>"What?" They were getting very sick of this guy's orders.</p><p>"You know, like, set it on fire for a moment," He said this like it was common knowledge, "We need to test the properties of this substance."</p><p>"We have 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 of burners around," They gestured to the cabinets.</p><p>"Oh, but it would be so much more fascinating to see your abilities in action."</p><p>The comment made Bubby sneer, "I'm not your damn pet. Do your own project and I'll do mine."</p><p>They turned to go back to their station when they felt the man's hand grab at their wrist and start to yank them back. Bubby turned to face him, disgusted and pissed.</p><p>All they wanted to do was get away from this situation. They wanted Coomer back. They couldn't deal with this treatment.</p><p>The more they thought about this, the angrier they got. Soon, all the emotions that had been building up the past day started to spill out. Bubby felt their hands ignite with flame and saw some papers catch too.</p><p>Guthrie jumped back and flapped his hand around, trying to soothe the burn that he had gotten from the direct contact. His lab coat tail started to burn as Bubby tried to find every flammable object they could see. They didn't care about the consequences, they had nothing to lose at this point.</p><p>Coming out of shock, Dr. Guthrie ran to the front of the room to get a hold of the intercom. He pushed the button and spoke,</p><p>"Security! Anyone! Please! I have an emergency in room 176! The test subject has- 𝘈𝘩!" He stopped talking, instead trying to put out his coat that he just noticed was ablaze.</p><p> </p><p>Bubby had a blast destroying all of Guthrie's research before security arrived. They decided to not put up a fight, they'd had their fun.</p><p>Reality started to sink in as they neared their destination. They silently were escorted down the halls to a private sector of the facility. The guards led them into a big room with tons of control panels and buttons mounted to the walls. In the middle of the chamber was a large, half glass container full of a translucent green colloid.</p><p>Their tube.</p><p>A couple of scientists, that had previously been pacing around the room, walked up and situated Bubby to sit in a nearby chair.</p><p>They knew what was to come next. A small prick was felt in their arm, before the world started to fade. Soon, they were completely knocked out.</p><p>An unknown amount of time passed before they woke up. Bubby wasn't exactly able to move or see too well due to all the wires they were connected to, so they just floated amidst the substance found in the tube.</p><p>Their tube gave them way too much time alone with their thoughts.</p><p>Bubby didn't feel like there was anything to look forward to anymore. Even the thought of getting out of their tube seemed dull.</p><p>They were never going to see Coomer again.</p><p>They felt hopeless.</p><p>Silent tears flowed out of Bubby as they allowed the day to wash over them and finally get some sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Angst time :))) </p><p>Next chapter will also be sad but don't worry it'll turn around soon! I'll post it as soon as I finish it (which may be a bit, i got a lot of school stuff to handle)</p><p>In the meantime, find me on tumblr @heyheyhey-iaintgay</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Bubby tube time, angst momence</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A month later and I'm finally back  😀</p>
<p>Thank you guys so much for the support of the other chapters!</p>
<p>Hope you all enjoy this one too! (Dont worry the next one won't be as angsty)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Bubby's eyes shot open from their sleep. Still in a haze from waking up, they assumed everything that'd happened recently was just one really, really bad dream. However, they soon felt that they were floating in their tube, hooked up by dozens of wires to some sort of machine, and were thrown back into reality.</p>
<p>The tube made it pretty hard to see or move. Bubby could hear and was present, but definitely didn't look like it from outside since they also couldn't talk with breathable fluid in their lungs.</p>
<p>This was all to say that they had literally nothing else to do but eavesdrop. The bulk of what Bubby heard was your typical workplace 'drama', lots of stolen sandwiches and broken hearts, but occasionally something they heard would be useful to them. A lot of the scientists around them either didn't know or didn't care that they could hear everything perfectly, despite the tube.</p>
<p>Over by a monitor, there were two scientists talking to one another.</p>
<p>"Did you find everything you needed yesterday?"</p>
<p>"Sure did," She flipped several buttons to turn off some equipment, "Waste Disposal always seems to have what I'm looking for."</p>
<p>"That's for su-"</p>
<p>Bubby started to zone out, there was no point listening if it was going to be <em>t</em><em>hat</em> boring. Soon however, something that one of them was saying caught their attention.</p>
<p>"Yeah, there was a new guy down there when I went," The lady continued, "but I swear he was the saddest looking person I've ever seen."</p>
<p>The other scientist looked confused, "Why do you say that?"</p>
<p>"I don't know. He just seemed really depressed n' lonely. Like he was having the absolute worst day ever."</p>
<p>Huh.</p>
<p>"Well who was he? I might buy him lunch if I ever need to swing by Waste Disposal."</p>
<p>"Oh, I didn't catch his name, but he had a mustache… and what I think was long hair? He was pretty buff looking too, probably why he was put on the job." The conversation faded off in Bubby's mind as they put the pieces together.</p>
<p>So that's where they put Coomer. Surprisingly, waste disposal wasn't too far from where Bubby was. They'd assumed Black Mesa would have put them way further apart then they seemed to have done.</p>
<p>A surge of happiness at the thought of seeing Coomer again filled Bubby. Maybe this wasn't hopeless after all. They just had to wait until they were let out of their tube. Until then, all they could do was wait.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>New scientist's would come and go throughout each day and each time Bubby would decide if their business was worth tuning into or not. Even without much else to do, they still had standards.</p>
<p>"Did you finish the paper you had been working o-"</p>
<p>Boring.</p>
<p>"One of my coworkers had their radiation tests results give-"</p>
<p>Boring.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Even with the lack of interesting conversations, Bubby still found themselves getting tired as the day started to come to an end. The last couple of scientists were filing out.</p>
<p>"The department at the opposite end of the sector just had a breakthrough in cloning technology! Can you believe that?"</p>
<p>"That's incredible, I heard they cloned one of our own-" Their words muffled as they left the room and traveled down the hall.</p>
<p>Damn it. And that one was <em>actually</em> interesting. It didn't really matter through. Bubby decided just to go to sleep and try and get the days over with as quickly as possible.</p>
<p>Coomer was still out there, waiting for them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Bubby woke up that night, confused. Why were they awake? It couldn't be morning already.</p>
<p>They tried to gauge their surroundings. Still couldn't move, still couldn't see well, but their ears still seemed to work as usual. Bubby wondered if the tube was purposefully designed that way, as to not give them the option to respond to orders. Though, they didn't have the time to think about the reasoning behind their punishment because they could hear soft footsteps quickly approaching the room.</p>
<p>Bubby panicked, thinking it was someone coming to do some sort of test or observation on them. However, they obviously couldn't move to get away from the situation and started to freak out more. They almost went into full panic mode when,</p>
<p>"Bubby, can you hear me?"</p>
<p>Holy shit.</p>
<p>The figure was a little hard to make out, but it was Coomer. Bubby was so happy, it had been a little over two weeks since they had been separated. They were ecstatic.</p>
<p>
  <em>Shit I have to let him know I'm awake.</em>
</p>
<p>They tried moving, but knew it was for nothing. The wires that were hooked up to their body had a restrictive setting for nights since there weren't many people around to keep watch over them. Bubby gave up and hoped that Coomer could, <em>by some miracle</em>, psychically know they were awake and present.</p>
<p>"Its good to see you're alive and -ah, semi-well." He let out a dry chuckle, but it had none of the warmth his usual laughter was full of. It saddened Bubby.</p>
<p>"I saw you in here when I was passing by earlier this week. And… I know I should stay away, incase I get you into more trouble than I already have, but," Coomer rested his hand on the glass and sighed, "I just, needed to tell you some things… even if they don't really matter now,"</p>
<p>He sat down along the rim of the tube and leaned back against it for some sense of comfort, "I- I'm sort of glad you aren't awake right now... Don't think I'd have the courage to say some of this to your face,"</p>
<p>He took a breath.</p>
<p>"Bubby- I… I think I love you," Bubby's world abruptly stopped turning. Even if they <em>could</em> speak they wouldn't be able to find the words they wanted to say. Coomer continued on, "Ever since we first met, I realized just how intelligent and interesting you were. Seeing you work on things you love and hearing your stories on breaks was so wonderful. You're so dedicated to the things you're passionate about, but the real moment I realized that I loved you was during the rocket launch,"</p>
<p>Bubby saw Coomer shake a bit, then heard a quiet, sniffle filled laugh before he started to talk again, "Your eyes lit up like I'd never seen anyone's do before. This sounds cheesy, but… I saw the <em>whole universe</em>, in your eyes. That's when I knew I loved you… but as soon as I realized that, they took you away from me."</p>
<p>He started to cry in full now, back pressed against the tube, "I was going to tell you the day we were separated, I had finally worked up the courage to confess," a half sob, half laugh broke through, "You had me acting like a damn teenager again, I was so nervous thinking of what could happen if you didn't feel the same. And well, there's still the possibility you don't feel the same, but I don't even care at this point. I just want your smile back, your <em>spark</em> back, <em>y</em><em>ou</em>."</p>
<p>Bubby wanted nothing more than to hug Coomer in that moment. To just hold him. To tell him they felt the same and then some. To tell him everything was going to be okay, but they couldn't. They tried, and tried, and tried to give him some sort of sign he was there and that they loved him in return, but there was no use inside the tube.</p>
<p>"I need to wait for you. I know we won't be able to see each other any time soon, but I don't want to be long gone from this place when that time comes," He wiped his tears and got up, "I know you're not going to like what I'll have to do, but I think it's the only hope I have at this point. If I do what they're asking me to do, then I'll be able to stay at the facility and actually have a chance of being around you again."</p>
<p>Bubby was very confused and concerned for him. They absolutely didn't want Coomer to do something that could hurt him. Whatever it was probably wasn't worth it just to be with them, as nice as the thought may sound to Coomer.</p>
<p>"I'm going to wait for you Bubby, I have hope this will all work out. I have to have hope-"</p>
<p>Just as he was staring to talk again they both heard a set of footsteps coming down the hall. Coomer looked up at Bubby, once again searching for a sign they were there, one that could not be given, "I have to go now, before I'm found out. I love you Bubby, I hope I'll have the courage to say it to your face when the time comes."</p>
<p>They watched as Coomer tip-toed out of the room, closing the door with extreme caution.</p>
<p>Then silence as Bubby was, once again, left completely and utterly alone with their thoughts.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Bubby was promptly let out of their tube the next day. For the time being, they weren't allowed to work on or help out with anything serious. This meant all they could and would do was wander the halls.</p>
<p>After a couple rounds of one sector, they would hop on a tram and move on to the next. They decided to bring a notebook wherever they went. Bubby liked to organize the things they would see to keep themselves occupied.</p>
<p>Thirty potted plants, ten inspirational posters, twenty-five chairs. It got pretty repetitive.</p>
<p>They just wished they could <em>do</em> something again, but they were still too 'unpredictable' to go back to work. Bubby never thought they would be longing to return to their job, but here they were.</p>
<p>They did all of these things in an effort to think about something other than Coomer. His words from that night still echoed in their head. He really loved them, didn't he?</p>
<p>Bubby still had a hard time believing him. Why would a guy like Coomer love someone like them? They quickly brushed this thought away because if Bubby knew one thing it was that Coomer wouldn't lie to them.</p>
<p>Another thing about that night that Bubby would ponder was what Coomer meant by the thing he 'had to do'. They wouldn't be able to bear it if Coomer did something drastic, just for the sake of staying with them. He seemed so hopeful about it though. That hope in Coomer also sparked a hope in Bubby.</p>
<p>They reminded themselves over and over that this wasn't for nothing. They <em>were</em> going to see Coomer again. It was just a matter of time.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>A month later Bubby was still waiting. It was night, or so said the analog clock on their bedside table. Almost 4am, so late it was early, and Bubby still couldn't fall asleep.</p>
<p>They groaned and rose from their bed to slip on some shoes, grab their notebook, and go for a walk of the facility. There wasn't really a reason to stay in bed if there was no chance of falling asleep.</p>
<p>The dorm halls were empty, Bubby took the tram down to the test labs just to see some familiar scenery. Over there, some stray scientists roamed the halls, but they were few and far between.</p>
<p>Over to Bubby's left they spotted a new potted plant and went to write it down in their tracker. As they were doing so, the ran straight into somebody.</p>
<p>"Ow, god," The person was standing still smack dab in the middle of the hallway, "Sorry, but what are you even <em>doing</em> in the-"</p>
<p>They were about to fully lay into this guy for just standing there, but then they took notice of his auburn curls and short stature.</p>
<p>"C-Coomer?" The man tensed and turned around to face Bubby. They locked eyes and- Bubby's mouth fell open.</p>
<p>It was Coomer! They gasped as they were overcome with a powerful joy.</p>
<p>Suddenly, the man let out a yelp before bolting down the hallway and into a closet of some kind. Bubby followed shortly behind, yelling after him. When they reached the door, it was locked.</p>
<p>"Coomer, I'm sorry I scared you. Its just me, Bubby!" They tried to calm the, clearly frightened, man on the other side of the door. "It's alright I-"</p>
<p>Bubby paused as Coomer turned the corner of the opposite end of the hallway, pushing a cart of materials.</p>
<p>That… couldn't be right.</p>
<p>Coomer was right inside the hall closet.</p>
<p>Confused, Bubby walked up to the man.</p>
<p>"Coomer? What's going on?"</p>
<p>This time, Coomer just flat out ignored him, but quickened their pace to a brisk walk. They knew they should feel sad about Coomer ignoring them, but something was going on here.</p>
<p>Bubby ran down the hall, still confused, and turned the corner to find, yet another, Coomer. What the hell was going on here?</p>
<p>Suddenly, Bubby mind flashed back to previous conversations they'd heard.</p>
<p>
  <em>"I just, needed to tell you some things… even if they don't really matter now,"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"I don't want to be long gone from this place when that time comes."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"The department at the opposite end of the sector just had a breakthrough in cloning technology!"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"If I do what they're asking me to do, then I'll be able to stay at the facility and actually have a chance of being around you again."</em>
</p>
<p>Oh no. No, no, no.</p>
<p><em>Coomer</em> was the breakthrough.</p>
<p><em>Coomer</em> was the one who they'd cloned.</p>
<p>He's the one that decided to do something so extreme, just for Bubby.</p>
<p>This wasn't fair to Coomer. He had the chance to have a life outside of Black Mesa. A chance to leave this awful place and start a new. Now that was a broken dream.</p>
<p>Bubby knew that Coomer was just as chained to this facility as they were, and they were terrified for him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading!</p>
<p>I bumped this fic up another chapter bc I wanted to write an epilog-but-not-really-an-epilog type thing. Basically I just wanted more good stuff to balance out the angst lol</p>
<p>Next chapter will be out when I get it done i guess. I'm actually gonna be updating my status on tumblr now tho (heyheyhey-iaintgay)</p>
<p>Thank you again! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Finally, a chapter with like no angst. This is what we both needed. </p><p>Might seem rushed at the beginning, but I was too tired of writing sad Bubby :( </p><p>Have fun reading!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As difficult as it was for them to come to terms with everything, life moved on. Bubby continued to float around the facility, but now would preform minor tasks. Checking over people's data, fetching samples, and whatnot. However, none of this could distract them from the increasing number of clones about the facility each day.</p><p>Every time Bubby entered a room or turned a corner, they were sure to see Coomer. Bubby acknowledged it wasn't actually their friend, but it didn't make seeing him hurt any less. Everyone around Black Mesa acted like it was so normal and it made Bubby all the more upset.</p><p>Nothing really made sense to them. They didn't have a real job or anything to do, really, and their one friend was now trapped here at Black Mesa with them and whatever other experiments the facility may have hidden from the public eye. Bubby felt so many emotions they didn't have a name for, so they just tried not to think about them. Only in the safety of their dorm would they let their feelings show.</p><p> </p><p>After one particularly long day of running from lab to lab, doing their coworkers bidding, Bubby plopped down on their bed and just cried. Everything felt hopeless. They assumed they'd be used to everything as time went on, the loneliness, the less-than-human like treatment from their peers, but they weren't. Not after how Coomer had treated them. God, they wished their brain was able to think of <em>anything</em> but him-</p><p>A knock sounded at their door. Bubby's head perked up and they slightly panicked, being in no state to talk with someone. They wiped their tears and ran to the bathroom to check if they looked like they'd just finished crying. They did. But there was nothing to do about that now, so Bubby just took a deep breath and walked to the door.</p><p>Opening the door revealed Coomer. <em>No, not Coomer,</em> Bubby reminded themselves, <em>Just another clone, perfectly 'normal'.</em></p><p>Bubby was tired of this.</p><p>Sarcastically, they grumbled, "Haha. Very funny Black Mesa." And started to shut the door.</p><p>"Bubby, it's me."</p><p>Bubby took a beat. What?</p><p>"Harold?"</p><p>The man before them gave a meek smile and that's all Bubby needed to realize this was his Coomer.</p><p>They immediately dove in to tightly hug the man below them and soon Coomer reciprocated with equal energy. Bubby started to tear up, no, they started full on crying. It had been <em>months</em> since they had seen each other and Bubby just didn't have the words to describe their happiness.</p><p>After a minute or two of embracing, they backed out just to look at the other.</p><p>"Harold, how did you even <em>f</em><em>ind</em> me?" Their new locations weren't exactly top secret, but with the amount of dorms and other rooming options at the facility it would be nearly impossible to find a specific person without having access to their file.</p><p>"Well you see," Coomer also looked as if he'd finished crying from the reunion, "It's quite simple for me to get 'access' to areas when I have clones that do. All I have to do is pretend that I know what I doing and they'll let me walk anywhere they can! One of the benefits I guess."</p><p>"You sneaky bastard," Bubby smiled at Coomer, "So you just found the place they kept my file and waltzed in?"</p><p>"Precisely!" Coomer giggled as Bubby once again embraced him. This time Bubby paused as they felt that that the arms enveloping them were harder than what they'd assume was normal.</p><p>"I hate to ruin the moment but, what's with your arms?"</p><p>"Cybernetics, my dear Bubby!" God they'd missed him calling them that, "My job requires some heavy lifting, and as strong as I may seem I needed the extra help. It was pretty painless on my end, and I have softer versions back at my dorm if these are too uncomfortable."</p><p>"Oh, no its fine... I was just curious." Bubby mumbled the last bit. The elephant in the room was still there, and neither wanted to address it. As lighthearted as Coomer's attitude towards the clones was a minute ago, Bubby still knew there was more to it than what he was saying.</p><p>But before Bubby could voice their concerns Coomer spoke, "I know you probably have a lot of questions, but I'm afraid those will have to wait. The guard is only going to be knocked out for a certain amount of time."</p><p>Bubby laughed at the scientist's antics in disbelief, "What is <em>with</em> you and taking out guards we could just <em>easily</em> sneak past?"</p><p>Coomer fully ignored the question to ask his own, "Bubby, have you ever wanted to see the stars?"</p><p><em>Of fucking course I have!</em>  Bubby wanted to say, but their mouth just hung agape.</p><p>They eventually realized they should nod and Coomer grabbed their wrist then darted down the hallway. Both passed by the limp body of the guard, Bubby hissed through their teeth but Coomer assured it was well within a blind-spot of the security cameras. Many halls and backways later, they found themselves at a large set of stairs leading to a glass door.</p><p>Outside.</p><p>In all their life Bubby had never been outside of the facility. They were mainly confined to the lower levels anyway, so it really wasn't a possibility. All of this night felt like a dream at this point.</p><p>"Now, when we go out there I need you to close your eyes until I say to open them," Coomer instructed, "It'll be worth it!"</p><p>"Okay… I trust you." They closed their eyes as Coomer guided them up the stairs and out the door. Even with their eyes closed Bubby could still sense the change. The air had a very slight chill, but was still overall humid. It just felt so fresh to them.</p><p>Guided by their shoulders, Bubby found their way to what they assumed was a large dumpster by the smell. They were going to voice their concern, but trusted Coomer enough to not question it. Both got on top of said dumpster before Coomer hoisted Bubby up to another ledge, pulling himself up after.</p><p>"Okay, it's just over here," After a few steps Coomer guided Bubby to sit down on a soft surface, probably a blanket of sorts. After a moment Coomer said, "You can open your eyes now."</p><p>Bubby uncovered their eyes, still a bit confused where they were, looked up, and gasped. Above them was an endless black sky filled with twinkling lights and other shapes stretching further than their eyes could perceive. The desert left the sky with little to no light pollution, Bubby felt like they could see the whole universe out there.</p><p>Their reaction to the rocket dimmed in comparison to this. It was one thing to see outside through a screen, this was entirely different. It was almost overwhelming to Bubby, their memory surely wouldn't be good enough to remember how brilliant all the lights were, but they decided to live in the moment and just breathe.</p><p> </p><p>Bubby didn't realize how long they'd been silent until Coomer chuckled, "I knew you'd like it."</p><p>"Thank you," They turned to Coomer, "So much, this means the world to me."</p><p>They continue to sit next to each other and just stare into the quiet darkness, Bubby fully in awe at the sight. Neither were aware of how much time had passed and neither cared.</p><p> </p><p>While staring into space Bubby got to thinking. They were reminded of the night Coomer came by while they were in their tube, the confession. Their face flushed as they remembered everything he had said to them. Bubby thought a bit about how to bring it up, they couldn't just <em>ignore</em> what happened, and ultimately decided to just say 'fuck it'.</p><p>"Eh- What you said to me while I was in my tube… did you… mean it?"</p><p>Coomer looked back down from the sky at Bubby, "What?"</p><p>"Um- When you came up to me in my tube one night," They were blushing profusely by now, " I was awake and could hear you, but I couldn't really move to tell you- and you said some… things to me."</p><p>As Bubby went on Coomer's face contorted into one of panic as a blush rose to his cheeks in realization.</p><p>"Oh."</p><p>A silence fell between them. Normally when this happened it was because they were content with just being in each other's presence, but right now it was just awkward.</p><p> </p><p>"I- I meant everything I said," Coomer looked away while he talked, not wanting to meet Bubby's gaze, "In fact, I think I mean it even more now. I don't want to hide my feelings, but I understand if you're uncomfortable. "</p><p>Bubby saddened, "Coomer I would never be uncomfortable around you," Ever so slowly, Bubby reached out and placed their hand on top of Coomer's, "I feel the same way you do."</p><p>At that Coomer finally looked up at Bubby and smiled, taking their hand in his. For a moment both just sat quietly, hearts still racing from finally confessing their feelings.</p><p>Bubby smiled at Coomer, "I've missed you so goddamn much."</p><p>"Me too, not a day went by where I didn't think about you." They admitted.</p><p>There was more silence in the air. This time, however, they weren't looking up at the stars together. Bubby was staring deeply into Coomer's eyes, a brilliant green that even stood out in the dark. He seemed flushed, but Bubby could only imagine what <em>they</em> looked like after letting their months of bottled up feelings loose. Bubby watched as those eyes looked from theirs to their lips then back up again.</p><p>They gulped, this was it. That movie moment that was so often talked about.</p><p>"Can I- Um- kiss you?"</p><p>Bubby gulped, then took a breath, "Yeah-"</p><p>They were cut off by Coomer's lips on theirs. His lips were much softer than they'd expected, but then again what <em>were</em> they expecting? His mustache tickled their upper lip, but they didn't mind at all. It was... <em>nice</em> actually, very nice. Bubby scooted closer and wrapped their arms around Coomer, hugging his soft frame. Coomer then returned the gesture, wrapping his arms around Bubby's neck to pull them even closer together in the kiss.</p><p>Bubby couldn't help but smile into the kiss when Coomer deepened it, this is all they've wanted for a long time. The quiet noises of the desert surrounded them, but Bubby tuned them out. Nothing was as important as this soft moment together.</p><p>Soon, <em>too</em> soon if you were to ask Bubby, they both pulled away and just looked at each other.</p><p>Giddy smiles rose to each of their faces as they hugged each other again. Coomer pressed light kisses into Bubby's neck from the position he was in, which caused them to gasp before laughing and falling into the man's arms.</p><p>Thankfully, the blanket they were resting on was soft as they fell down next to each other. Bubby felt Coomer cup their cheek and closed their eyes to relax into it, fully comfortable just out on the rooftop together. This all felt unreal, but the weight of Coomer at their side assured them this was really happening. It was incredible.</p><p> </p><p>They laid on their backs to get a full view of the sky. Bubby thought it was just as breathtaking as when they'd first opened their eyes out here. As the minutes passed, they noticed more and more details of the night sky. The almost cloud-like formations, simple constellations, and the occasional shooting star. Bubby had a lot of things to wish for, but found their mind draw a blank when thinking in this moment. They were right where they wanted to be for the rest of time.</p><p>Eventually, they both got distracted from stargazing in favor of taking in the other's face. Coomer and Bubby faced each other while they breathed in the fresh air of the night.</p><p>After gaining more confidence, Bubby gave in and decided to fully cuddle up to Coomer's so they were flush together on the blanket. His warmth made up for the cool air that surrounded them. Coomer trailed his hand up and down Bubby's back. They started to play with the man's hair mindlessly as he did this. Coomer chuckled and Bubby could feel the rumble against their own body.</p><p>This was what home and safety felt like. Bubby wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world right now.</p><p> </p><p>An hour or so later, after almost falling asleep multiple times, both decided they should head back to their rooms before the morning shift of guards came in. After a bit of sneaking, holding hands the whole time of course, Bubby arrived at their dorm with Coomer.</p><p> </p><p>"I would invite you in, but I'm afraid that'd be a bit too forward," Bubby joked.</p><p>Coomer giggled before settling, "I had a wonderful time tonight, Bubby."</p><p>"Me too," Bubby reached up and cupped Coomer's cheek to pull him into a kiss. They still weren't over how good it felt to be able to just <em>do that </em>and loved the feeling of their soft smiles against one another. Coomer pulled back as he seemed to remember something.</p><p>"Oh! One more thing," Coomer returned to earth from his previously flustered state after the kiss, "Here's my room number incase you need me."</p><p>He brought out a pen from his pocket and wrote down a number and dorm sector on Bubby's hand. Bubby didn't know exactly what Coomer meant that night he said with them around he felt like a teenager again, but this felt pretty close to what they'd heard other scientists say their youth was like.</p><p>"Great." They smiled at Coomer and he gave them one last kiss. Both lingered a bit, just savoring the moment, before pulling away slowly.</p><p>"Goodnight, Bubby!"</p><p>"Goodnight, Harold."</p><p>Bubby leaned against their doorway, watching Coomer leave.</p><p>After shutting their door Bubby took a moment to flap their hands around in excitement. This was all so amazing, words could not describe their joy or happiness or whatever this giddy feeling in their chest was called. But at the same time, words could not describe how tired they were, so they fell straight into their bed to sleep for the night.</p><p>Thoughts of cuddling up next to Coomer filled their head, but now those thoughts weren't so far fetched. They couldn't wait to see him again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Once again, thank you for being patient with me. Time and motivation is hard to find, but it's always fun when I do. </p><p>Thanks for reading!!! Next chapter will give more fun or fluffy boomer scenes with very limited angst I promise!! What I mean is this thing has too much sadness and not enough fluff! I just want them to have some good ol fun. So keep an eye out for that, usual long ass time between posting yada yada but ill *try* to get it out asap.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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